Believe Your Students CAN

This last weekend I was the keynote speaker in Palmdale. I brought Christine Pinto with me to present as part of the keynote. Christine is a TK (Transitional Kindergarten) teacher in California. This is her first year teaching. Her 4 year old students sometimes have access to iPads and sometimes go down to the computer lab.

Christine shared with the audience how her students CAN. They CAN use technology. They CAN log into Google Apps. They CAN use spreadsheets. 3 months ago her students were first introduced how to use the computer mouse and now they are building insects with a thorax and antennae using Google Draw. View her 8 minute presentation on what her students CAN do!

Believe Students Can

Let’s believe our students CAN. Doing new things with students is a learning experience for both of you. Expect that it may take some iterations to figure out how to do something. The first time students try something they are trying to figure out the space. Things will be deleted or go wrong. Expect it. Be happy about it, they are learning how it works. The trick is to be consistent and do it often.

DOK is not a ladder. Students do not need to master DOK 1 and DOK 2 to tackle DOK 3 and 4. Believe that students can do more complex thinking. Higher critical thinking tasks can be more interesting for students. Students with low self efficacy can do better with higher level critical thinking tasks. Because there may not be a right answer for them to get wrong they are more willing to risk trying. “How would you solve the water crisis in California” does not have a right answer. Students find evidence to justify their position, but each student can have a different idea and not be wrong.

Resist Doing it For Them

The person doing the work is the person doing the learning. Christine Pinto has her TK kids taking pictures into Google Slides on the iPad. The students resize the pictures themselves. The picture is not perfectly placed but the students did it.

Learn from Students

Sometimes a student can figure out something faster than I can. I want to learn from my students. Encourage them to figure it out and to show you rather than the other way around.